FICKLE FATE and NORN-SENSE
by Chick Feed
Summary: The brothers come across three women in white waiting by a roadside, waiting for them! Dean sees that one of the women might provide him with an opportunity, but when Sam realises what Dean is thinking, conflict ensues. Can Sam hold onto his brother? Or will Dean grab this chance to get out, leaving everything, including Sam, behind? - Angst by the bucket load! A 4 chapter fic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : Don't own 'em. Want 'em. But can't have 'em :(

 **FICKLE FATE and NORN-SENSE  
** _The brothers come across three women in white waiting by a  
_ _roadside, waiting for them! Dean sees that one of the women  
_ _might provide him with an opportunity, but when Sam realises  
_ _what Dean is thinking, conflict ensues. Can Sam hold onto his  
_ _brother? Or will Dean grab this chance to get out, leaving  
_ _everything, including Sam, behind?  
_

Chapter One  
-oOo-

"Is that...? It _is_! _Again_! Sister, you're totally obsessed,! Tell her Urd. She's sneaking one of those three threads back into your basket again! It's not right, it's not funny and I'm thoroughly sick of seeing them over and over again!"

In the middle of making herself and her two sisters a nice cup of tea, Urd rolled her eyes before turning to give her youngest sister a stern stare.

" _Please_ tell me Verdandi doesn't mean who I think she means Skuld?... _Well_?"

Skuld, the youngest of them, giggled, earning herself a sharp poke in her ribs from the irritated middle sister's sharp elbow.

"Ow! _Stop_ that Verdandi, I nearly lost my thread!"

"I wish you _had_!"

"Well, you're thick then _!_ Only a totally thick _thicko_ would wish such a catastrophe befall a whole world!"

"Stop bickering, _both_ of you...Skuld, I asked you a question. I would appreciate an answer."

Skuld stuck out her bottom lip. Refusing to look at Urd, she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the intricate task of weaving countless threads together, occasionally snipping off loose strands. Amongst the threads Skuld was currently working with, were three that were always sure to cause annoyance in her middle sister.

"But, I _like_ these ones. They're all shiny and they make lovely patterns in and out and around, so pretty."

Urd set three delicate bone chine saucers decorated with tiny pink rosebuds down onto a silver tray. Three matching cups went onto the saucers and she began pouring tea from a silver teapot into each cup.

"Little sister, it's not our place to either like or dislike, as well you know...Do either of you want a fairy cake? They brought one for each of us, freshly baked today."

Two eager voices answered, "Yes please!"

-o-

Each sister sat in their own high back wing chair which were positioned facing each other around a small circular coffee table, on top of which currently sat tea and cakes for three. Urd brushed imaginary creases out of the long skirt of her crisp white dress before smiling brightly at her younger siblings.

"Well then. Isn't this nice? Tuck in my dears."

Urd waited until her sisters were slurping their tea and sighing happily over their fairy cakes, then silently and with great care, she placed her shuttle down on the top of coffee table, and left it there.

-o-

Skuld already had a mouthful of fairy cake, crumbs puthered out from between her lips as she spluttered and coughed. Verdandi froze, her fairy cake half way along it's journey to her open mouth, and stared wide eyed at her elder sister. Urd took a delicate sip from her teacup. She glanced first at Verdandi, then at Skuld who was beginning to recover from her coughing fit.

"Are you alright now my dear?"

Skuld nodded yes.

"Good. Now then. Sisters, it's high time we all had a serious talk, in particular Skuld, about The Three. You can start by explaining to myself and Verdandi what is it makes you feel such like towards The Three?...Skuld!...Your attention, _please_!"

The youngest sister had her focus firmly fixed on the abandoned shuttle that belonged to Urd. It wasn't right. It should be on her person even if not in her hand. They took short breaks from weaving, but it had to be all of them at once, and they _never_ put their shuttles down, _simply never_! Not even when they were spinning instead of weaving. What did it mean? And was she herself to blame for her oldest sister's out of character behaviour? Skuld looked distinctly pale when she forced herself to focus on Urd.

-o-

"Beloved sister! Your shuttle! What will happen if you don't weave with us?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, and in a very real sense...All things waiting shall remain unborn, and no seeds of life shall bear new fruit, be it plant or crop or creature...Understand this, my littlest sister, however long my task remains idle, not only will this rich tapestry we create grow in a decidedly lop-sided manner, but down _there?_ All will be barren. If enough time were allowed to pass, you yourselves would, in the end, fall idle through a lack of new thread with which to weave; and down there would be _nothing_. I suggest, therefore, that it would behove you to respond swiftly to my enquiry regarding The Three my troublesome youngest sibling."

Skuld frowned. Her big sister was clearly wanting to intimidate her, why else would she start throwing around words like 'behove'? Feeling unusually stubborn, Skuld decided she was having none of it and she answered back, her tone haughty.

"The Three have actual names you know, sister. There's Castiel, an Angel of the Lord; that's when he's not reduced to being human anyway. The other two happen to be humans and brothers; they are called Sam and Dean Winchester, and they are Hunters. When brought together, all the three mingle and meld with one-another wonderfully! See? Look how their threads brighten up countless others when they are being woven into parts of the whole here and there? And they produce such an intricate pattern. I wish we'd had these threads to weave amongst all the rest right from the very start!"

-o-

Skuld's expression was dreamy as she gazed at the glittering threads, and her voice became softer, wanting.

"I confess, there are times as I sit weaving and cutting, that I find myself in my mind's eye imagining how it would be to undo everything; you know? Take our shared creation right back again, to the very beginning, only this time while we weave we would keep adding in these three flashing threads here and there from the outset. I am certain we would find ourselves watching and pausing, astonished by the wondrous change that their I just know their influence would bring to fate's outrageous patterns. And what a fine, fine thing we three would then find ourselves wrapping around that one universe..."

Until then, since having witnessed her older sister put her shuttle down, Verdandi had remained shocked into an unmoving silence. Now, however, her reaction verged on apoplectic and her voice came out as a high pitched, strangled wail.

" _Noooooo_! Stop it, stop it! Stop talking such insanity Skuld!... _A fever_? Yes. That must be it! Urd, hear me; our baby sister must be affected by a fever to speak such madness. She thinks to undo all our work! Four times almost, _four times_ fate's tapestry encircles this universe, and she speaks of starting again? _Fever_...Or madness!...As a matter of fact, it's got you **too** Urd. I fear even _you_ are afflicted! Fevers and madness, fevers and madness! _Ooo_! Help me someone! I...Can't... _Breathe_. I...Really... _Truly_...Can't...Breathe!"

-o-

Skuld shot her frenetically panicking middle sister an entirely unsympathetic and very impatient look.

" _So what_?...You're being ridiculous, you don't actually breathe _anyway. None_ of us do!"

Verdandi put her panicking on hold to huff and scowl back at Skuld.

"It's _metaphorical_ breathing. Alright _?_...I can't _metaphorically_ breathe!

" ** _Enough_**!"

The impact of Urd's suddenly raised voice was twofold. First, it startled the younger pair into attentive and anxious silence, and secondly, down on Earth in a city called Liverpool, England, a single large public car park experienced an unexpected level 5 earthquake, messing up the previously neat lines of parked cars and causing five different women to, in various order, scream, drop their bags of shopping and throw themselves flat to the ground.

-o-

Verdandi and Skuld stared wide eyed at their eldest sister who, having risen to her feet and placed her hands on her hips, glared angrily back at them both.

"As the oldest of we three sisters, when _I_ order, you _will_ obey! For I am _Urd._ Eldest of the Norn and Keeper of What Has Been. I am the Then! I command you both. Lay down your shuttles. This _instant_!"

There was the sound of a single whimper from Verdandi as, bewildered and anxious, both the younger Norns complied, immediately becoming hypersensitive to the absence of their shuttles from about their person. Verdandi sniffled and wiped under her nose with the back of a hand. _This is all Skuld's fault. Every single bit of it!_ Urd's expression was grim as she held out both her hands. Confused but afraid to ask what their elder sister intended, the younger two each reluctantly took a hand in their own. Satisfied, Urd began to mutter under her breath.

-o-

Urd managed to catch Verdandi before she hit the ground, Skuld however ended up on her hands and knees. The ground beneath her, she swiftly discovered, was horribly wet and squishy. Reaching for her, Urd and Verdandi together hauled their youngest sibling upright. Verdandi screwed her nose up, pointing to the skirt of Skuld's previously pristine long white dress.

"Look at you sister. You're filthy! _Ghargh_! It's all over your hands too! _No!_ _Don't_ touch _..._ Your face...Oh well. I _tried_ to warn you."

Dirty anyway, Skuld shrugged and proceeded to wipe the mud off her hands by smearing it down either side of her dress while she gazed round at their new surroundings.

"Where are we my sister?"

Glaring up at the heavily overcast sky as if daring it to rain on her, Urd answered.

"Down There. I'm surprised you needed to ask."

Quickly moving to where she could huddle into Urd's side, Verdandi's eyes flicked fearfully all around their immediate area in terror.

" _Noooo_! Sister! Beloved Urd, take me back. Take me back home I _beg_ you. _Pleease_! I never wanted to come to Down There! I _never!"_

Ignoring the middle sister's fear and distress, Urd turned to face the opposite direction, forcing Verdandi to shuffle hop in order to keep up while remaining stuck like glue to the older woman's side. A single lane road ran past where the three were stood. Urd stared down it's length and into the distance, after a short while announcing to the others,

"Ah, excellent! There they are."

-o-

"Sammy? Wakey wakey, heads up bro'. Potential weirdness alert."

"Huh? Wha'? Wha'ssit?"

"Up ahead. Looks like Hubble, Bubble an' a side order of Trouble."

-oOo-  
 _Started this fic with no clue where it might go, so reviews, criticisms, comments  
_ _all welcome,_ _ **whether good or bad**_ _. All comments are valuable to me. xxx_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
-oOo-

Dean slowed the car down, giving his brother time to catch up and arm up before they reached the three women stood on grass at the side of the road. All three were wearing very similar long white dresses, and each of them wore their hair loose, letting it tumble down to their waists. They all stood side by side, watching the approaching Impala. Holding his gun on his lap and concealing it by laying his other arm over it, Sam stared at the three figures.

"You thinkin' witch's?"

Dean began to slow further, pulling into the edge of the road some yards short of the women.

"Either that or, if our luck's in? They're escaped sacrificial virgins just hangin' around waitin' to be rescued. Stay here an' watch my back, yeah? Any one of 'em starts waggling any number of fingers my way, shoot 'em!"

"You know I will bro'!"

-o-

Both brothers climbed out of the car, Sam remained stood by the Impala, watching for any sign that his older brother was under threat, while Dean nonchalantly approached the three females.

"Hello ladies. You needin' some help here?"

Eyes as big as saucers, Skuld tugged on Urd's sleeve.

"Sister! Is it The Three...Um...Two? _Please,_ tell me it is?"

Urd flapped her sister's hand away, keeping her attention on the approaching male, pleasantly surprised by his unexpected facial appeal. Many of the Norse Gods were handsome, Thor for example. Her secret favourite with his long golden hair, true blue eyes and his extremely well muscled body. Urd always felt a tingle down her spine just thinking about him. Striking good looks almost seemed to be a requirement of both Gods and heroes and, unusually, this human was no less good looking. In fact, Urd thought, this man would fit right in, provided his hair was left to grow longer of course. Urd quickly reigned in her drifting thoughts and addressed the male as he came to a halt.

"I give greetings to you, One of Three. I am named Urd and these are my much loved sisters. Tell me, which of The Three are you?"

-o-

Hearing the oddness in the way the outstandingly beautiful red haired woman spoke, Dean came to a standstill, leaving some space between himself and the three females. Back at the car, Sam no longer held his gun concealed, instead it was now obviously trained on the speaker. Dean smiled casually, all three women had an ethereal beauty about them. Still, he reminded himself, he was way to experienced to let himself get distracted just because he was faced with three uber hot babes, he hoped.

"Depends. What's my options?"

It was a dark haired female wearing a decidedly grubby white dress who excitedly answered him, beaming at him and, bizarrely, bouncing slightly on the spot like a puppy straining at the leash, while she spoke.

" _Weeell_. You could be the angel, Castiel., if you are, you're shimmery. Or you might be Dean, he's really glittery. Or you could be Sam, who's shiny...Let me guess... _Ha_! I sense you have a human soul; so that makes you either Dean or Sam. I'm named Skuld. I fell over. That's why my dress is dirty. I'm the youngest of us. Hello. You're even prettier than I'd imagined you would be! Which one _are_ you?"

-o-

Dean frowned, something about the bouncing brunette's name sounded familiar, and it was familiar in a way that meant it mattered. His interest in these sisters had already increased a few notches at her 'sensing' both his soul _Kinda freaky an', seriously? Glittery?_ and that he was 'human'; her use of the word immediately raising the thought that maybe she and her sisters _weren't_ human? There was also the small matter of the trio not only mentioning Cas, but also making it clear they knew _what_ he was. Dean decided that he wasn't ready to admit to anything just yet. Not until he understood more.

"Don't get carried away hun, can't say whether I'm one of this gang you're after. Tell you what. Assumin' you're not here lookin' to hook up for a triple date, how about givin' me a little more info to go on? Like what's the pitch between you an' The Three? Also...Blondie _?_ Have we met before? 'Cos you're lookin' at me like we might've?"

-o-

The deep scowl Verdandi was directing at Dean grew more pronounced, determined as she was that she wanted nothing to do with this pretty faced human. Her voice was cold and heavy with the weight of distaste and dislike.

"We have not met previously, neither is it my choice to meet you _now_ , One of Three; as that most certainly _is_ who you are. If, for some _incomprehensible_ reason, you feel it vital to speak to me again, you will address me correctly...For I am Verdandi, and I encompass all that is _. I am the Now_!"

Dean beamed at the obviously annoyed female.

" _Awesome._ Big fan of 'The Now'. Really I am. Outstandin' band! Good talk...Anyhoo, you'll have to excuse me ladies, I need a quick word with that other guy back there...Y'know, the one with the gun pointing this way? So, if y'all got someplace else to be, like say... _Home_? Don't think you've gotta hang round on my behalf, ok?"

-o-

If any of the three women were watching for such things, it was unlikely they would have observed any real signs of concern in Dean's casual stroll back to his brother. Sam, however, noted the contemplative frown on his brother's face, as well as a slight stiffness in how he held himself, almost as if he was expecting at any moment to feel the thud of a knife in his back. Together, the signals were enough to keep Sam pointing the gun at the three women, ready and willing to start offloading bullets in their direction if any of they made any move that gave the slightest hint of trouble. He continued to keep his watchful gaze on the women, even when Dean reached his side.

"Well dude? What're we playin' with here?"

Dean briefly glanced back at the three women before answering, disappointed to see they were making no moves to leave.

"Got their names, an' one is _definitely_ ringin' my bell. I know I know it, damned if I can remember why though."

"Go on, give."

"Ok. From the eldest down, that's the redhead. She calls herself Urd. The blonde, who I think is secretly in love with me, hers' somethin' like Vivaldi, aka The Now? But it's the brunette, she's the one sounds familiar. Skuld...Right. I can see with how your eyes are kinda bugging out, name's familiar to you too; so share little bro'."

-o-

Looking more than a little freaked, Sam turned his back on the women and lowered his voice to no more than a whisper.

"Dean! _Jeeze_ man! If it _is_ them, this' big. _Seriously_ big. Those names? We're apparently lookin' at the three _Norns_!"

Stunned, Dean stared back at Sam.

" _Sonovabitch_! You serious? The Wyrd Sisters? Here? Standin' round in the mud? You _do_ mean _those_ Norns, right? The ones that're supposed to control the fate of _everythin_ '?

After another quick glance back at the women, Sam gave a single nod yes.

Dean looked down at his own feet.

"Skuld... _That's_ why the bouncy brunette's name sounded so freakin' familiar. The middle one, Vivaldi? She called herself The Now, so the other two between them're past and future."

Sam looked suddenly hopeful.

"Hey! You think there's the chance they're just your average suburban housewife weekend only white witches, an' they're just _callin'_ themselves after the Three Sisters? An' by-the-way, it's _Verdandi,_ not Vivaldi!"

-o-

The look in Dean's eyes was enough to answer Sam's question, and quash his faint hope.

"They know our names Sammy. It's us they're wantin'. They don't know who's who, but they _do_ know about Cas; his proper name an' the fact that he's an angel... _Sonovabitch_!...Why the _Hell_ can't these types stick with floatin' quiet on their clouds or whatever? _Huh_? Why, instead, do they _always_ decide it'd be a good idea to pop down an' _screw_ with _us_?...Maybe it's our own fault? We bring it on ourselves? I mean, do they ever piss all over ev'ry other Hunter too? I don't _think_ so man. No, if they gonna piss? It's always on us. Sam, we _really_ gotta try an' stop lookin' so damn entertainin' an' interestin' to these freaks."

-o-

Dean's mini rant was conducted in a heated whisper. Sam calmly waited for his brother to finish, then,

"Dean, the Norns don't actually float around on clouds. Mythology mostly has them livin' in Asgard, usually sittin' by Urd's well at the base of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life. Not all the legends agree, it depends which you read, but they're either Goddesses, or demi-Goddesses."

Dean hissed back at Sam.

" _Course_ they are...An' thanks for the _lecture_!"

"I wasn't..."

Dean held a hand up to his brother.

"I'm sorry man, I'm just...On edge, y'know? Last thing I want is _another_ set of high n' mighty's messin' with us. I mean, when's it gonna end Sam? _Jeeze_ , sorry, whinin' over! _Ok_. the Norn's...What d'you think they're wantin' with us?"

Sam shrugged.

"I guess we really need to ask _them_ that one."

Dean stared at Sam in silence, then rolled his eyes.

" _Fine._ We'll ask...But then? We tell these bitches to get their big fat Goddessie butts back to Asgard, unless they wanna spend half of eternity extractin' the freakin' tree of life outta where there ain't no sunshine?"

Sam smiled.

"Ok...Maybe word it differently though?"

About to turn, Dean hesitated.

"Sammy?...D'you remember which one decides it's your time to die an' cuts your thread? Urd or Skuld?"

"That would be Skuld...Um, Dean?... _Why_?"

"So's I know which sister does what, obviously. Why the Hell else?"

-oOo-  
Chick xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
-oOo-

Sam staying back and aiming a gun at three Goddesses, whether full or half, was pointless so, warily curious, he was at his brother's side when they returned to the waiting women. Walking across to the Norns, Sam's thoughts were on Dean and the newly flowered nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach, so he was unaware of how attentively Skuld was gazing at him. Dean, however, homed in on the youngest Norn's wide eyed focus on Sam, noting the small smile on her lips and the distinctly dreamy expression that had appeared on her face. Amused, he nudged his younger brother with his elbow.

"Sammy? Looks like you've got yourself a fan...Hello again ladies. Seein' as you're all still hangin' round, I guess that means you _don't_ have somewhere else you should be?"

-o-

At his words, Verdandi glared accusingly from Urd to Skuld. It didn't take much to figure that she, at least, wasn't happy about hanging out with a couple of lowly mortals. Dean could empathise with that. As far as he was concerned, Heaven, Hell and the world had already dumped more than enough crap onto his and his brother's shoulders. And yes, they had so far managed to keep doing the impossible, but they weren't Gods or archangels, he certainly wasn't loaded up with any superpowers, if his brother still had any, they were damned unreliable. They weren't ranked as the strongest or fastest humans on the planet, and though intelligent, Dean was pretty sure there were people with higher IQ's in this world. Bottom line was, he and Sam were still only human, and he was exhausted, clinging on by his fingertips, struggling to hold onto any sense of hope, heartily sick of being hurled from one world ending crisis to another. Whenever he did get the chance to sleep, his will to then rise and ready himself to battle through another day was almost depleted. The thought of the likely additional burden if the Three Sisters decided that they wanted a piece of him and Sam to screw with made Dean feel like sinking to his knees in the mud. He glanced at Skuld, and took a deep breath. It was time to get this show moving, whichever direction the three fates then decided to take things.

-o-

"Ladies. I'm gonna keep this brief. I'm Dean Winchester, an' the strong, silent one here is my brother, Sam Winchester. How about one of you tell us what the Wyrd Sisters want with us? Short answers only please."

It was again, Urd, who spoke. Given that she was the eldest sister, it seemed natural to Dean that she should be the one in charge.

"You two humans, along with the Angel Castiel are, I'm afraid, proving to be a distraction for the youngest of us, Skuld. Apparently, she 'Likes' all of you and so, each time she cuts the thread of one of you, it isn't long before Verdandi and I mysteriously find ourselves suddenly yet again weaving with the thread of he who had ended! This should not be, _especially_ with regard to you humans. One return is virtually unheard of, but your particular thread, Dean Winchester, has made innumerable reappearances! It is entirely against the natural order. My little sister knows this, and yet she persists in taking up your thread again and again."

Grinning, Dean turned to Sam.

"Hear that bro'? She's a fan of _me_ too!"

Looking back at Urd, his expression became serious.

"If what you're wantin' is Little Miss Future here puttin' off? Hell, I can do that, no problem. Watch this...Hey Skuld? Sam's a good lookin' guy, if you go for the whole puppy eyes thing, but how about you stop starin' at him an' listen up. I gotta whole _mountain_ of reasons why you should pay attention to your big sisters an' stick to doin' things how you're _supposed_ to do them. Y'know? One snip equals bye-bye...For good!"

-o-

Skuld gave a long suffering sigh as she switched her attention from Sam to Dean.

" _But._.."

Within the time it took to blink, Dean adjusted his approach and turned on the heat. Silencing Skuld with a shake of his head, he moved closer, placing himself firmly inside her personal space. Ducking his head, he gazed at her from under his long lashes, laying the full green eyed Winchester whammy on her. Moving on, he followed up by slowly running his tongue over his bottom lip, first one way, then the other, leaving his lip damp and glistening. Working it, he repeated the small movement a second time, and was rewarded by Skuld watching in avid fascination, even going so far as to unconsciously mirror him by licking her _own_ lip. Never breaking eye contact, his gaze having her rooted to the spot, he gently took both her hands in his, lacing his fingers around hers and at the same time stepping in closer; close enough to be certain she would feel the heat of his body warming her own. Letting go of one of Skuld's hands, he gently brushed a few stray strands of her long dark hair back off her face, before letting his thumb trail softly down her cheek, his face showing no trace of having noted the slight tremor that ran through her body, and he made no comment about how scarlet both the Norn's cheeks now burned. Lowering his hand again, he made sure to accidentally stroke his open palm high up against the side of her thigh, while letting his thumb drift over the front, causing the Norn to tremble once more, before he took her free hand back into his own. As far as Skuld was concerned, time had slowed down, and she and this human were the only two living beings in this place, her sisters and even Sam forgotten, as she fell under Dean's spell. He leaned towards her, bringing his face closer to hers and, for a single glorious moment, she thought he might be about to kiss her. Instead, Dean stood with his mouth close to her ear, his breath tickling her neck as he spoke quietly to her, his voice husky and deep, dipped in honey.

"At the end of the day beautiful, it's _you_. You're the one gotta hold on those shears, an' baby? You an' me? We _both_ know the truth, don't we? We both know how things should go, how they _should've_ gone, an' honestly? I'm ok with it. But I need _you_ to be ok with it too. I'm puttin' my faith in you Skuld, you hear? I need you to do somethin' for me, I _need_ you to keep to the one simple truth...What's cut should stay cut."

-o-

Dean felt his upper arm clamped firmly in a tight grip before he was suddenly spun half around and dragged forcibly back and away from Skuld by an angry and determined younger brother.

"Sam! What the Hell?"

Sam threw the three sisters an apologetic semblance of a half smile which could just as easily have been a grimace while he adjusted his hold on his indignant brother, grasping Dean from behind by both shoulders.

"I'm sorry about interruptin', but I need a private word with my brother. There's somethin' important I've forgotten to tell him."

Using Dean's shoulders to steer him by, Sam began frog-marching him back to the Impala.

-o-

Sinking in an emotional quagmire of irritation, fear, fury, upset, and even resignation, Sam tugged his older brother to a halt and, forehead creased into a scowl, he rounded on Dean in a hissing, spitting whisper

"I know _exactly_ what you were thinkin' back there an' you're _not_ doin' this Dean. I won't _let_ you!"

Already seething at his brother's undignified treatment of him, Dean's own temper hit boiling point and he turned rigid in Sam's continuing grip.

" _Awesome_! Apparently you can read my mind. But about you not _lettin'_ me do somethin'? It kinda implies I need your permission. Odd that, 'cos I really _don't_!"

-o-

Sam's frustration towards his stubborn, impulsive brother was so overwhelming, he didn't notice himself physically shaking Dean.

"Cut it out Dean...

"That pun intentional?"

Sam's hands dropped away from his brother.

" _Stop!_ Stop your wise-ass crap an' you _listen_... _No way_ do you get to talk her into cuttin' your thread an' leavin' it there! You _don't._ I promise you this much, Dean, I don't care _what_ I havet'a do, or _what_ it takes to stop you, I _will_ do it! Do you understand me? There's _never_ gonna be a time when I'll stand back an' watch quietly while you commit suicide. _Never!"_

Surprise quelled some of Dean's anger.

" _Huh_? Who mentioned freakin' suicide?"

With a heartfelt sigh of exasperation, Sam glared at Dean and, instinctively responding to an unconscious need for a physical connection, one hand latched onto Dean's arm again.

" _You_ just did! Because, what you're plannin'? That's what it is. 'Cept instead of a bullet or whatever, you were gonna use _her_ as your way out once an' for all. How long Dean? How long have you been lookin' to quit? Or did you just decide once I told you who she was? Y'know what? Forget it, it don't matter. I had a feelin' you might be up to somethin', but _this_? Did you bother even for a second to think what it'd do to me? Well? _Did you_?"

-o-

Sam felt the rigid tension drain out of Dean and saw the anger in his eyes fade, leaving Sam holding onto a man who looked completely lost, as if the passion and fire that always burned inside Dean had, somehow, fizzled and died out. Sam finally saw what had been hiding beneath his brother's mask, and the shock almost took his breath away.

"You heard Urd... _Huh_ , heard Urd!...You heard her Sammy...All this boomeranging back from bein' dead is against the natural order. We both know she's right, we can't argue against that...You gotta remember how it turned out when _you_ were ready to go, only I wouldn't let you? It tore us apart man! It broke us...Well...This time it's me Sammy. Her bein' here? Yeah alright, I admit it made me think maybe _I'm_ ready now...An' she, Skuld, she's the one can do this for me."

Sam finally let go of his brother's arm and shook his head stubbornly.

" _Maybe_ you're ready? Sorry Dean, not nearly good enough...An' yeah, you dragged me back, an' look, I'm still here so, if it's gonna help? You _owe_ me, an' I say you _can't_ run out on me... _I'm_ not ready. I don't want to, _won't,_ lose you. I won't be able to handle it, not again, not permanently...I _can't_...Ok?...Dean?...I need you. I _need_ my big brother... _Please_?...Otherwise Dean?...I'll have no option but to go ahead an' end myself too. Maybe we'd find one-another? D'you think it's possible?"

-o-

The remnants of any tattered hope Dean had still managed to cling to dissipated, leaving him beaten, saddened and almost entirely drained of energy. Trapped by the anguish, desolation and threat within Sam's plea. Dean could see only one way forward; so he lied.

"Sam, calm down will you? I didn't _mean_ any of it! I was just angry you could think I wanted Skuld to give me the snip. Honestly bro', I _don't._ Believe me. I'm here for you Sammy. I'm _not_ runnin' out on you, ok? It's you an' me bro', like always. Stronger together."

-o-

There was no avoiding Sam's hug response and, accepting Sam needed the physical reassurance, Dean gave in. Finally, he thought he truly understood the fury that had exploded out of Sam in the past when he discovered Dean had deceived him into living, and allowed an angel to possess him. The circumstances being different, Dean felt no anger towards his brother, in fact he agreed with Sam's assertion, he probably _did_ owe his younger brother for having secretly allowed an angel to reside within him. Moving on was always easier for Dean. He genuinely could think of nothing Sam might do to him that he couldn't forgive sooner or later, and nothing he wouldn't sacrifice for his baby brother, not even the chance to be at peace.

-oOo-  
Chick xxx  
 _You're thinking it, so why not put those thoughts into a review? ;p  
_ _Final Chapter up soon. xxx_


	4. Chapter 4

_To 'Guest' - Blown over and stunned by your review! Thank you SO much :D  
_ Chapter Four (Final chapter)  
-oOo-

Extracting himself from the embrace before it went on so long it started to become weird, Dean glanced over towards the three waiting women.

"What d'you think Sammy? What should we do about those three?"

Still feeling frayed around the edges by the fears centred on his brother, Sam just about managed to conjure up a half smile while forcing himself to re-focus on the uninvited presence of the Three Sisters. He gave a careless shrug of both shoulders.

"Why _should_ we do _anythin'_? It might be about us, but it's still their family squabble, I say let _them_ sort it out...Y'know dude, despite what _they_ believe, _I'm_ not convinced it's really _their_ job to dictate whether we live, die, come back, stay dead or anythin' anymore. Way I see it? They're just one more set of names on a whole list of other names."

Dean stared at his brother.

"Y'know what? You've got a Hell of a good point there!...C'mon bro; I think we should leave them with somethin' they can _really_ get to arguin' about."

-o-

Urd had watched the two humans' emotional interaction with detached interest. Skuld, while mortified to see the brother's arguing, had quietly begun cooing with delight at witnessing their brotherly hug. Verdandi however had been astonished at the intensity of the emotions passing between the brothers, watching them in fascination, eavesdropping in on their discussion, and imagining herself weaving it into the sisters' creation, picturing how the brothers' threads might impact on the patterns the sisters laid down within it. She found herself becoming enticed by the picture in her own mind of the shimmering highlights and flourishes that she saw the human's threads could bring to their work, and she began to find herself growing excited at the prospect of continuing to use them. She wished the angel were here with the brothers, wondering whether he was as pretty as these two? Gazing at the two humans, she felt an odd warmth spreading over both her cheeks. When the humans _Sam and Dean, that's their names. Sam and Dean, Dean and Sam_ finally began to walk back to where the sisters waited, the sight of them side by side, almost touching as they walked in sync with one another, made the soft warmth on her face become more heated. _What's happening to me? Why are they effecting me this way? Is this how it has been for Skuld? I wonder which one she likes the best? Which one do_ _ **I**_ _like the best?...Fenris' teeth! What's wrong with me?_

-o-

Dean was an Emotion Hiding Ninja; so thoroughly adept he frequently was successful in fooling his own brother. Hell, he'd learnt from the best, Grand Master, John Winchester. Right now Sam needed him to put on his 'Happy to be here" mask and currently, if he didn't manage to wear it so well as he usually did, he knew Sam wouldn't comment, because Sam needed to believe. Instead, Sam would pretend to himself that he hadn't noticed should Dean's mask become a touch lop-sided occasionally. Pretence and fakery, just two more ways to survive.

-o-

Dean smiled broadly at all three sisters.

"Well now, first off, Sam an' me hope you're little field trip's been worthwhile, but, honestly?...If little sister likes us, an' that's interferin' with your knittin' circle? That's _your_ problem, not ours...You agree?"

Skuld and Verdandi immediately looked to their older sibling, deferring to her for their answer. Urd considered the man in front of her. His smile was open, friendly, attractive, and seemingly non-threatening, but she was of Gods and Goddesses. Urd knew she was seeing only a mask, a front, worn to hide what was real. She knew this human concealed and protected himself with many such masks. She was of the past, and so she knew that this man, when at the kill, whether he showed hate, rage, disgust or distain, whether grim satisfaction or righteous triumph; he abandoned all masks, and showed his enemies the truth of Dean Winchester. She also knew what Dean Winchester never covered up, never hid from view; the unfailing love he had for his brother. At last, Urd gave a curt nod of her head.

"I agree."

She watched the brother's glance at one another, recognising the moment when a signal was exchanged between the human siblings; she waited.

-o-

"Good...There _is_ somethin' puzzlin' Sammy an' me though, an' it's this...What makes you so damn certain that what happens to us is under _your_ control _anyway_? I mean, you're _Norse_ Goddesses, half Goddesses, whichever. My point is, best we know of, neither Sam or me are Vikin's. Also, you're _old_ Gods. But my brother an' me? We've always been pissed on by Chuck, an' even by his sister, Amara. Old Chuck? He wrote the book on us, _literally_! He dictated our lives, includin' sendin' us back after we died, didn't matter to him whether we liked it or not...Then there's been all the dick angels who devoted time to pokin' their pinkies in our pie...An' not just your standard type angels either. _Archangels_ have had fun times screwin' with our lives too. Feather dusters like Michael, _Lucifer_ , an' Gabriel...Sammy? _Gabriel_?"

Sam grinned, taking up his cue.

-o-

"Yeah. Not sure if you'll take this as good news or bad, but it's the truth. It's the archangel _Gabriel_ who orchestrated the huge majority of Dean's exit's an' encores. You hearin' me Skuld? It wasn't _you,_ however much you believed you were the one controlin' his fate. You were never to blame for the time when Dean was _constantly_ diein' an' revivin'. That was all Gabriel, ok?...Actually, maybe I need to clarify somethin'?...We didn't know him as Gabriel then. See, he was callin' himself somethin' else, usin' one of his other names. We only knew him as the Trickster...But the name should be familiar to the three of you though. _Loki_? The Trickster God of Mischief and Chaos? The God of fire? Or how about 'spear of mistletoe guy'?...Yup... _Him_!...One of your own! Either you _allowed_ him to mess with my brother an' me, or he went behind your backs. I'm guessin' the latter...Dean? Anyone else we should mention?"

-o-

Dean frowned.

"Discountin' me makin' a deal? 'Cos I s'pose I could'a been fated to do that. What about Reapers? Do _they_ count? Specifically Billie. She's _definitely_ made it sound like another return trip is up to _her_."

Sam nodded.

"Right. An' she's already decided no more, yeah?"

Smiling, Sam turned to the three sisters again.

"See why we've got some doubts about you all bein' the bosses of us? Seems to me it's more a case of pot luck who get's to decide when you're done. Maybe what you need is to all get together an' decide exactly _who's_ gonna be in charge of endin's? Who's the _real_ boss?...Or should you _all_ just back off? An' leave us in charge of our _own_ fate?"

-o-

While the two younger Norns gaped at the human brothers, Urd held up one hand.

" _Stop_ human! Between the both of you, I have heard enough. Truthfully, more than I would have wished. It is far beyond your capability to even begin to comprehend what you have wrought this day."

Skuld and Verdandi glanced at one another and Skuld mouthed 'Wrought?" Verdandi grimaced in return. Their big sister was now extremely unhappy.

"You may rest assured, I do not foresee us ever again coming to this place to speak with you. As to your own fates, you're words have made it clear to me that we three have unhappily already been superseded by other forces...So be it. We shall relinquish any and all our own influences from this moment. And whilst we may find ourselves weaving the threads of your lives into The Tapestry, we accept they are not ours to govern...Two of The Three, it is my hope for you that those in whose hands your destinies now rest, manage to serve you well."

-o-

Turning to her siblings, Urd held out a hand to each of them.

"Come my beloved sisters. We must leave, we have much to discuss, not least of which is Loki"

Skuld didn't move. She stood with her head bowed, sucking on her lower lip and clearly holding an internal conversation of some sort.

"Little sister? Come."

Raising her head, Skuld smiled happily.

"In a moment Urd."

The oldest Norn gasped then watched in astonishment as Skuld made a sudden dash for Dean, instantly triggering a similar action by Verdandi, who swiftly scampered up to Sam. Urd could do nothing but watch as each of her younger sisters surprised their chosen human with a brief, shy hug before, giggling, they clasped hands and ran back to join her.

-o-

Urd made no comment as she held onto her sisters tightly, quickly speaking the words that would take them home where, until today, the sisters would have returned to and gladly taken up their shuttles, eager to continue in their task of spinning the yarn they would use to weave the fates of all into their ever growing tapestry of life...Except, they were now aware that the power and the control over individual fates was no longer theirs alone. Things had changed around them. Other forces had come into play. They had learned that while they sat comfortable, drinking tea from china cups and, ironically, tending to the Tree of Life, life itself had moved on.

-o-

Sam was halfway to the car when he realised Dean hadn't moved.

"Dean? C'mon, it's starting to rain. Let's go find somewhere for coffee, ok?"

Dean was staring at the empty spot where the Three Sisters had so recently stood when he heard Sam call to him. He answered his brother without turning.

"Sure, coffee, sounds great."

He knew he had to act like he was ok, Sam was relying on him for it and, given time, he _would_ be ok, he was sure of that. Him and Sam would eventually talk about things, he'd move on, recover, get over how close he'd come to being able to escape, for good. Right now though? Right now he took a deep breath, made certain his mask was firmly back in place, and turned, grinning at Sam as he walked back to him.

"But coffee _and_ all day breakfast? Now that sounds _really_ great!"

 **END  
** -oOo-  
Chick xxx  
 _Chat and comments always welcome :D_


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